Republicans claim Senate majority, take control of Congress

Voters handed control of the Senate to Republicans for the first time in eight years on Tuesday, putting the GOP in charge of Congress for the remainder of President Obama's term. 
Republicans swept to victory in a string of contests across the country, retaining every one of the GOP-held seats up for grabs and picking up more than the six seats needed to take control of the Senate. Republicans enjoyed a banner night after mounting campaigns from coast to coast that, almost without exception, sought to cast their opponents as rubber stamps for the unpopular president. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who fended off a Democratic challenge in Kentucky, is now poised to ascend to majority leader next year. 
Republicans also are projected to retain control of the House -- and gain at least 12 seats, expanding their majority beyond their post-World War II record of 246 seats set in 1946. 
The landscape means Republicans will have new powers to challenge Obama's agenda in the final two years of his term, able to launch investigations and hold hearings from both chambers; hold up key appointments; and pass GOP-favored legislation, if only to force the president to employ his veto pen. The division of power also could yield areas of agreement, on areas ranging from immigration to energy -- though the Affordable Care Act and efforts to undermine it could continue to sour talks on other issues. 
McConnell, after winning his own race, said some things won't change next year -- but stressed that lawmakers and the White House don't have to be in "perpetual conflict" and "have an obligation to work together." 
"Tomorrow, the papers will say I won this race, but the truth is ... tonight we begin another one, one that's far more important than mine -- and that's the race to turn this country around," McConnell said in Louisville. 
In a written statement, current Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid congratulated McConnell and said he looked forward to working with him as the next majority leader. 
So far, Republicans have gained seven Senate seats. In North Carolina, Thom Tillis, a Republican member of the state legislature, is projected to oust U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a first-term Democrat, in a closely fought race that saw spending top $100 million. Republican Joni Ernst also beat Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in Iowa. 
Echoing a campaign ad about hogs that helped her gain attention early on in her race, Ernst declared, "We are heading to Washington, and we are going to make 'em squeal." 
Republicans picked up seats in territory all over the country Tuesday night. In Montana, Republican Steve Daines defeated Democrat Amanda Curtis, flipping control of the seat to the Republican Party for the first time since 1913. In Colorado, GOP Rep. Cory Gardner ousted first-term Democratic Sen. Mark Udall. 
South Dakota Republican Mike Rounds also won the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson. Further, GOP Rep. Tom Cotton unseated two-term Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in Arkansas and Shelley Moore Capito beat Democrat Natalie Tennant for an open Senate seat in West Virginia. 
In a vital set of victories that helped put the party on the path to the majority, Republicans also held onto all three seats that were in contention this year. 
In Kentucky, McConnell defeated Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky's secretary of state. Republican David Perdue, former CEO of Dollar General, beat Democrat Michelle Nunn for the open Georgia Senate seat; and three-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts survived the political scare of his life by beating independent challenger Greg Orman in Kansas. 
In a setback for Republicans, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen beat Republican challenger Scott Brown, despite Brown's late-surging campaign. 
But Republicans' momentum was undeniable. 
A handful of other races remain too close to call -- most notably, in Virginia, where Republican Ed Gillespie is running a late-surging campaign against Democratic Sen. Mark Warner. 
According to Fox News exit polls, this race is looking much closer than it did in pre-election polling, in which Warner, a former Virginia governor, held a months-long, 20-point lead over Gillespie, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Gillespie eventually cut that lead in half, but the race now appears even closer. 
The Senate race in Alaska also is not yet called. 
Fox News, though, can project that the Louisiana Senate race will go to a runoff on Dec. 6, meaning there will be no winner from Tuesday night. Based on exit polling, Fox projects that three-term Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu and Republican challenger Bill Cassidy will both fail to exceed 50 percent of the vote, sending both into a runoff, this time without competition from candidates such as Republican Rob Maness. 
At stake Tuesday night were 435 House seats, 36 Senate seats, and another 36 gubernatorial races.  
The U.S. Senate battle, with control of Capitol Hill at stake, was the most closely watched. 
The following Republican incumbents also won Tuesday: Sen. Thad Cochran in Mississippi; Sen. Lamar Alexander in Tennessee; Sen. Susan Collins in Maine; Sen. Mike Enzi in Wyoming; Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Tim Scott in South Carolina; Sen. Jim Risch in Idaho; Sen. John Cornyn in Texas, Sen. Jeff Sessions in Alabama; and Sen. James Inhofe in Oklahoma. Republican James Lankford won the seat being vacated by Republican Tom Coburn. And university president Ben Sasse, a Republican, beat Democrat David Domina for an open Nebraska Senate seat. 
The following Democratic senators also won: Sen. Dick Durbin in Illinois; Sen. Cory Booker in New Jersey; Sen. Brian Schatz in Hawaii; Sen. Jeff Merkley in Oregon; Sen. Tom Udall in New Mexico; Sen. Al Franken in Minnesota; Sen. Ed Markey in Massachusetts; Sen. Chris Coons in Delaware; and Sen. Jack Reed in Rhode Island. 
In Michigan, Democrat Gary Peters won an open seat. 
The Obama factor may have weighed heavily over the vote Tuesday night. Fox News Exit Polls show more than a third of voters -- 34 percent -- said they voted to show they're opposed to Obama's policies. That number was a bit higher in 2010. 
By contrast, just 20 percent voted to show support for Obama. Forty-five percent said it was not a factor. 
The economy was by far the biggest issue for voters; 43 percent said it was the most important issue. Of those worried about the direction of the economy, they voted for the Republican candidate by a 20-point difference, exit polls show. 
Most the campaigning and the big money in recent months concentrated on roughly 10 competitive contests. Seven were for the seats held by Democrats: in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, New Hampshire and North Carolina. Three were for the seats held by Republicans: in Georgia, Kansas and Kentucky. 
Surprise developments colored the elections in several states -- perhaps most notably, the Democratic candidate's decision to drop out of the race for Senate in Kansas. His decision immediately boosted independent Orman in his race against Roberts, who until that race shakeup was leading in the polls. Roberts ultimately survived. 
In Kentucky, Grimes also suffered a PR blow after she repeatedly refused to say whether she voted for Obama. In the final days of the race, both campaigns turned to accusing each other of putting out inappropriate mailers. 
At the state level, nearly a dozen U.S. governors were considered in political peril, making it one of the toughest years for incumbent governors in decades. However, most of them held on, and Republican candidates did well in several races -- including in Wisconsin, where GOP Gov. Scott Walker survived yet another challenge.

Debt Cartoon

Son of actor Robert Mitchum blasts Dem for ‘deceptive’ ad in congressional race

Chris Mitchum, the son of legendary actor Robert Mitchum, is getting a bitter taste of politics as he mounts a bid for Congress in southern California – accusing his opponent of running a “deceptive” ad that twists his words.
Mitchum, who like his dad was an actor but is trying to transition into politics, is running against Rep. Lois Capps, a longtime Democratic lawmaker. Her campaign ran an ad – which since has been pulled after a complaint from Mitchum’s lawyers – that depicts Mitchum appearing to tell an interviewer that he does “not intend to go to Washington to represent the 24th District.” The tape then cuts off and jumps to a Capps message of approval.
The Mitchum remarks, though, actually come from a longer clip that shows him making a point about pet projects. What he actually said is he does not intend to go to Washington “to bring back baseball fields. That’s not why I’m going.”
A representative for Mitchum, Tab Berg, called the editing “deceptive” and said it completely altered the meaning of Mitchum’s words.
“The Capps campaign pulled the ad quietly, and tried to tell reporters that it had nothing to do with getting caught,” Berg told FoxNews.com. “Capps neglected to respond to the media about the issue, and in fact has been a no-show at five debates planned by community groups.”
In response to the ad, the Mitchum camp has launched its own “Truth” web video and online fundraising effort to address the incident. The spot opens with the original Capps ad, and then switches to the unedited clip from the interview.
“When it comes to the Lois Capps’ campaign, you can’t believe anything they say,” a laughing Mitchum says directly to the camera after his statement finishes.
Mitchum, a Republican, ran in 2012 but failed to make it past the primary.
Despite the allegations of clip-doctoring, Capps spokesman Chris Meagher said the ad still represents the “narrow political philosophy” of Capps’ opponent and is consistent with Mitchum’s views that residents of the 24th District are “not a priority.”
“My boss, on the other hand, has consistently advocated for the central coast,” Meagher said.  
Since the ad was pulled, Capps has released two new ads in its place.
Polling suggests that the election in the typically Democratic district will be surprisingly tight—numbers from Problosky Research show Mitchum with a narrow lead over Capps, 41.5-40.8 percent.
Capps, meanwhile, also has been dealing with a controversy this year, involving an aide who struck and killed a young woman in Santa Barbara with his car last December.

Was Foley rescue delayed? Administration had strong intelligence on hostages, location weeks before raid sign-off

EXCLUSIVE: As early as May, the Obama administration had strong and specific information about the location of American James Foley and other hostages held in Syria, a source close to the discussions told Fox News, but the rescue mission was not approved until early July.
The gap raises new and compelling questions about whether the operation to save the American and British hostages was unnecessarily delayed for at least five weeks because the administration wanted the intelligence to develop further.
“We had a lot of really good information on where they were being held, very specific information,” said the source, who agreed to discuss the details on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The source added that the Islamic State captors felt so secure in their stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, that the hostages were moved between only a handful of locations. By late spring, the American and British hostages had been held for at least three weeks in one facility.
Other sources backed up the account provided to Fox News. The timeline seems to conflict with administration claims that the White House signed off on the operation as soon as the intelligence allowed.
“The U.S. government had what we believed was sufficient intelligence, and when the opportunity presented itself, the president authorized the Department of Defense to move aggressively to recover our citizens," Lisa Monaco, the White House counterterrorism adviser, said in August, after journalist and hostage James Foley was executed and the video was posted by ISIS. “Unfortunately, that mission was ultimately not successful because the hostages were not present.”
A similar statement, which did not dispute the strength of the hostage location information, was provided to Fox News on Monday by National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan. "U.S. forces conducted this operation as soon as the President and his national security team were confident the mission could be carried out successfully and consistent with our policies for undertaking such operations," the statement said.
“The intelligence is never bullet-proof,” a former military official said. “When they [the rescue team] finally did go, the general view was that the intelligence was drying up. … These guys were ready to go, on a lower threshold [for the intelligence than the White House] … We want the American people to know we are there for them, and ready to go 24 hours a day.”
In an interview with Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren broadcast in mid-September, after ISIS posted the execution video of Foley, his parents said they also believed information was available about the hostage’s location long before the July rescue attempt.
"It was too late. I really feel that -- well, we were hinted that they knew where they were for, jeez, at different times they knew just where they were. But it was a dangerous mission,” Diane Foley explained.
“Like all Americans, we felt our government would succeed at whatever it decided to do, and were certainly dismayed that the effort was unsuccessful,” John Foley added.
Details have also emerged about the shadowy network of prisons used to hold the hostages who were held in close proximity to one another. Fox News has learned that after leaving a prison in the basement of the Aleppo Children’s hospital in the fall of 2013, the hostages were moved to a nearby industrial area -- before ISIS moved them again in early 2014 to their stronghold of Raqqa where over the next five months they were held in a handful of locations.
Fox News is withholding some details of their captivity as well as the names of hostages -- who have not been publicly identified by ISIS -- at the request of the families and the U.S. government.

Colorado could be at epicenter of battle for Senate control

Colorado’s extremely tight Senate race—at this point too close to call -- could play a crucial role in control of the Senate and the future direction of both political parties.
Most polls show incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Udall just slightly behind his Republican challenger, Rep. Cory Gardner.
"It's hugely important nationally," according to Colorado political analyst Eric Sondermann. "The number one theme of election night is going to be the battle for control of the U.S. Senate. Colorado is at the epicenter of that battle."
Udall easily won election to the Senate the same year Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination for president in a triumphant outdoor ceremony in Denver. Things have definitely changed.
"The president, obviously his popularity and approval ratings are in the tank," Sondermann said. “It is very tough being a Democrat in a swing state, particularly running for federal office."
Gardner has relentlessly worked to tie Udall to the president. At a recent campaign event he repeated his mantra, "I don't know if you've heard this or not, but Mark Udall has voted with the president 99 percent of the time."
For his part, Udall has continually hammered Gardner about reproductive issues for women, pointing out that Gardner has supported "personhood" amendments to the state constitution in two previous elections.
Those measures went down to defeat and Gardner said he does not support a similar amendment on the ballot this year.
"Reproductive freedom is a big deal for millions of Coloradians," Udall insisted. "If Congressman Gardner hadn't built his political career on trying to limit those freedoms, we probably would be having some other conversations."
However, focusing on this issue may not have worked out as well as Udall had hoped. The Denver Post cited it as one reason it chose to endorse Gardner, saying, "Udall is trying to frighten voters rather than inspire them with a hopeful vision. His obnoxious one-issue campaign is an insult to those he seeks to convince."
Sondermann asked if the strategy had backfired. "It doesn't seem to be having quite the punch and quite the impact that it's had for Democrats in past cycles,” he said. “I think it's left voters saying, 'What else do you have?'"
Colorado has seen a revolving door of big political names trying to tip the balance in favor of their party's candidate. Mitt Romney, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush for Gardner; Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Michele (though not Barack) Obama for Udall.
But the race's importance transcends this election. Both parties are watching Colorado to figure out which strategies will work and which won't in the 2016 presidential race.
Colorado's demographics are the reason: like the nation as a whole, the state is almost evenly divided between registered Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters with a growing Hispanic population.
Making things even more interesting, for the first time this year every registered voter has been sent a ballot in the mail. So far, official voter turnout numbers show that Republicans are voting in much larger numbers than either their Democratic or unaffiliated counterparts.

Some ObamaCare patients with high deductibles turning to community care centers

When ObamaCare patients learn their deductible is so high they’re unlikely to get any reimbursement, they often wind up in places like the Denton, Texas Community Care Center.
"There are quite a few, and I saw another one today, where their deductibles are so elevated that they can't afford them," said Dr. Flippo Masciarelli, chief physician at the center, which was designed to treat indigent patients.
Robert Laszewski of Health Policy and Strategy Associates noted, "You're going to the doctor, you're paying (a) premium, and because of this really high deductible, you're not getting any benefits."
The administration pushed insurance companies to keep premiums low, but that also created high deductibles, about $5,000 per person for the least expensive plan, as well as narrow networks of providers.
But most people buy based only on premiums.
"They don't even look at what their deductible is going to be," said Dan Mendelson, CEO of Avalere Health. "They don't look at the cost of the medications that they're on. And they don't look at the...network that they have."
Masciarelli said,"one of the ladies we saw said she called eight primary care offices before she found us..." The rest would not treat people on her plan. 
Rosemary Gibson of the Hastings Center and author of "The Battle over Health Care,” said many people find themselves in the same predicament. "People are scrambling to find a doctor who will see them, who will accept their insurance, who's in their network.  And if they can't, where they end up going is the safety net, which includes community health centers."
If the doctor these patients find orders additional tests or treatment, even those with ObamaCare are sometimes forced to go without.
Masciarelli said patients are honest about their problems. "They'll say you can't believe what this would cost me. I can't afford that. And they're trying to scrape together some money to get it done sometimes or, frankly, occasionally they'll say I'll just wait and see if things get worse."
That, he said, goes against the whole idea of preventive care, supposedly one of the advantages of ObamaCare, leaving many patients wondering what they're getting from the plan.
Health economist John Goodman said, "They go to community health centers because it's free or almost free and or very low charges. And that's why they're doing it. So they were coaxed to go into the ObamaCare system, they're paying premiums over there. And now they're asking what did I get for my premium? I'm having to go outside the system to get health care."
Masciarelli agreed. "We do get asked that question at times, yes, wondering you know, I have this product. I can't even use it. " 
Millions signed up after the president said premiums would be less than their monthly cell phone bill. But now, even those the law was most designed to help still must pay for their own care.
That may explain why the health care act remains unpopular.The latest Fox News Poll from October 25-27 found that by a 46-26 percent margin, more voters think ObamaCare “went too far” than “didn’t go far enough.”
It also is why so many Republicans have mentioned it in their campaign ads, with one source saying it was the leading topic in mid-October, with Republicans running 12,000 ads on health care.

Wisconsin mail carrier probed after allegedly dumping GOP political mailers

M.D. Kittle –  Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night may keep postal carriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. But partisan politics, now that may be another matter altogether.
An investigation has been launched into a Neenah, Wisconsin postal carrier who allegedly dumped into a recycling bin hundreds of political advertisement mailers from the campaign of Mike Rorhkaste, Republican candidate for Wisconsin’s 55th Assembly District, Rorhkaste tells Wisconsin Reporter.
Neenah Postmaster Brian Smoot, who was alerted to the incident on Thursday, confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation into the matter, and referred Wisconsin Reporter to the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service. OIG representatives there did not return several phone calls seeking comment Sunday.
“I am not allowed to comment because it is an active investigation,” Smoot said of accusations that the unidentified mail carrier mishandled the political literature.

Group: Terminally ill woman follows through on decision to end her life, dies in Oregon

A terminally ill woman who had decided to end her life after being told her illness would be long and painful has died, advocacy organization Compassion & Choices said Sunday.
Brittany Maynard, 29, who moved to Oregon where the “Death with Dignity Act” allows people to choose to die using medication, was diagnosed with a progressive brain tumor called glioblastoma multiforme. The average life expectancy is 14 months.
Compassion & Choices said in a statement that Maynard took lethal drugs prescribed by a doctor on Saturday and was surrounded by her family. 
"She died as she intended - peacefully in her bedroom, in the arms of her loved ones," the statement said. 
The group said the Maynard family has asked for privacy. The family did not release a separate statement confirming the death. 
Her story went viral after she posted a video on her website, The Brittany Maynard Fund, explaining her decision to end her life rather than try to fight the disease.
“If all my dreams came true, I would somehow survive this,” she said in a video. “But I likely won’t.”
Maynard chose Nov. 1 to die, but later said she would decided to postpone the day, saying she still shared enough joy and laughter with her family and friends that “it doesn’t seem like the right time right now, but it will come because I feel myself getting sicker; it’s happening each week.”
Maynard’s last days were spent completing a bucket list that included a trip to the Grand Canyon, and surrounding herself with her family.
The California native was diagnosed with a progressive brain tumor shortly after her wedding last year.
In a video, Maynard said the worst thing that could happen to her --- the most terrifying aspect – would be to wait too long and her autonomy be taken away by the disease.
In the video, Maynard said she takes walks with her family and husband, which “give her the greatest feelings of health I have these days” and that her condition continues to worsen every day.
About a week before she filmed the video, Maynard had her most terrifying set of seizures, two in a day, which is unusual.
“I remember looking at my husband’s face and thinking ‘I know this is my husband but I can’t say his name,’ and ended up going to the hospital for that one.”
Dan, her husband, said they were taking things one day at a time.
“You take away all the material stuff, all the nonsense we seem to latch on to as a society and you realize that those moments are really what matter,” he said.
Maynard hopes that after her death, her husband can be happy and have a family.
Maynard said she has gained 25 pounds in the past three months because of her prescription medications and that she finds it hard to look at herself in photos or the mirror because her body has become so unrecognizable.
Since Maynard’s story went viral, she has been working to raise awareness of end-of-life rights by working with Compassion & Choices, and The Brittany Maynard Fund. She has also been traveling and spending time with her family.
“Sadly, it is impossible to forget my cancer. Severe headaches and neck pain are never far away, and unfortunately the next morning I had my worst seizure thus far. My speech was paralyzed for quite a while after I regained consciousness, and the feeling of fatigue continued for the rest of the day,” Maynard said on her website.
“The seizure was a harsh reminder that my symptoms continue to worsen as the tumor runs its course. However, I find meaning and take pride that the Compassion & Choices movement is accelerating rapidly, thanks to supporters like you,” Maynard said.
Maynard had said she planned to die in her bedroom at home surrounded by her husband, mother, step-father and best friend.